Al Garhoud Bridge (in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: جسر القرهود) is one of three road bridges over

Dubai Creek Dubai Creek () is a natural Seawater, saltwater creek (tidal), creek in Dubai. It extends about inwards and forms a natural port that has traditionally been used for trade and transport. The creek ranges from in width while the average depth ...

, and one of five crossings, in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. Al Garhoud Bridge forms the eastern end of the road toll (called

Salik A sālik is a follower of Sufism, from the verb ''salaka'' which means to travel or follow, related to ''sulūk'' "pathway". ''Sulūk'' here specifically refers to a spiritual path, i.e. the combination of the two "paths" that can be followed ...

) that went into effect on 1 July 2007. Since the beginning of Salik, Al Garhoud Bridge has seen low amounts of traffic for Dubai.

Old Al Garhoud Bridge

The old Al Garhoud Bridge was the second bridge constructed that crossed the Creek, after Al Maktoum Bridge. The bridge opened in 1976. In 2007, nearly 9,000 vehicles crossed the bridge every hour at peak flow. It has been the cause of huge traffic jams in Dubai. The main reason for this was the number of roads that fed into the bridge. On the

Bur Dubai Bur Dubai () is a historic district in Dubai, located on the western side of the Dubai Creek. The name is a reference to the traditional separation of the area from Deira by the creek. Description The Ruler's Court is located in the district ...

-bound lanes, seven lanes (from three different roads) converged into three lanes. For the

Deira Deira ( ; Old Welsh/ or ; or ) was an area of Post-Roman Britain, and a later Anglian kingdom. Etymology The name of the kingdom is of Brythonic origin, and is derived from the Proto-Celtic , meaning 'oak' ( in modern Welsh), in which case ...

-bound lanes, five lanes converged into three lanes. Also, the bridge had to be closed to allow large boats to pass under it. The bridge had a total of 6 lanes: 3 lanes in each direction.

New Al Garhoud Bridge

To solve the major traffic problems caused by the old bridge, a replacement was constructed between 2006 and 2008 by Belgian main contractor

BESIX BESIX Group is a Belgium, Belgian construction group based in Brussels, one of the world's leading international contractors according to the Engineering News-Record, ENR ranking. Active since 1909, BESIX operates in Europe, the Middle East, Ocean ...

. The bridge, which cost 415 million

dirhams The dirham, dirhem or drahm is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Armenia, and is the name of a currency subdivision in Jordan, Libya, Qatar and Tajikistan. It was historicall ...

, is meant to add more lanes of road that cross Dubai Creek. The new Al Garhoud Bridge has a total of 14 lanes, 7 in each direction. It is able to handle 16,000 vehicles per hour. Construction of the bridge began in February 2006 and by 26 September 2007, 76% of the construction was completed. The bridge is long and above the water. On 15 December 2007, four lanes on the Deira-bound side were opened to vehicle traffic. Then on 15 March 2008, as had been scheduled, remaining lanes on both sides were opened. The old bridge was demolished after the new bridge opened. Shortly after the bridge opened, the Roads and Transport Authority announced that Al Garhoud Bridge would be decorated with artwork that look like sand dunes during the day and waves at night with the aid of lighting.

Photo gallery

Construction Photos on 31 January 2007 Image:New Al Garhoud Bridge Under Construction on 31 January 2007 Pict 2.jpg, Image:New Al Garhoud Bridge Under Construction on 31 January 2007 Pict 5.jpg, Image:New Al Garhoud Bridge Under Construction on 31 January 2007 Pict 6.jpg, Construction Photos on 1 May 2007 Image:New Al Garhoud Bridge Under Construction on 1 May 2007 Pict 3.jpg, Image:New Al Garhoud Bridge Under Construction on 1 May 2007 Pict 1.jpg, Construction Photo on 31 May 2007 Image:New Al Garhoud Bridge Under Construction on 31 May 2007 Pict 6.jpg, Construction Photo on 18 October 2007 Image:New Al Garhoud Bridge on 18 October 2007 Pict 4.jpg,

References

{{Dubai topics Bridges in Dubai Bridges in the United Arab Emirates Bridges completed in 1976 Bridges completed in 2008 1976 establishments in the United Arab Emirates